open showzen > Slightly Stoopid etc

Posted on February 10, 2011 by marc

Birds Nest at the Phoenix Open > set it off again and this time with the utmost excellent veterans of punk-reggae bands Slightly Stoopid this past Friday. The musical lineup of the tourney after party continues to get more blissfully proper each year, especially since becoming the Wasted Management open.

OAR and MetalHead landed in the Birds Nest again and delivered appropriately to the evening's respective obliteration level. Thus, MetalHead headlined the headbangers ball that ensued Saturday night, this pickled week's main act and grand finale. Many a Journey ode and GNR tribute make the formula for a joyous Caddyshack-clad crowd. Are these words making sense or are you still a little buzzed from that night? Or am I? Right     :j Marc

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Nu Muzik > Cut Copy

Posted on February 8, 2011 by marc
Cut Copy Zonoscope > today the Aussie electro-poppers release their third album from the label down under Modular Recordings.

Cut Copy

The sweet synth sounds from Cut Copy's previous LP's remain intact with even more shift into the new wave 80's but slightly less tempo on a few tracks and thus some less jig-triggering. Nonetheless, it's been quite a pleasure to have Cut Copy on my Phoenix Open week party soundtrack and now I'm even more anxious to see them live at Coachella this April. (more…)

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wasted management > Phoenix open + super bowl XLV

Posted on February 3, 2011 by marc

Phoenix Open

Congrats > your antsy trousers have made it over the hump of this unusually brisk work week and finally approaching is open weekend. To the desert dwellers still enjoying life's happy hour, this week is of monumental celebratory tradition and so inaugurates the tomfoolery. (more…)

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zTALK > Mourning Maxwell

Posted on January 29, 2011 by marc

Derek & Alex of MoMax > the desert-bred dudes have co-led a handful of bands with different styles and various members over the past decade. While these such bands have discontinued new albums and tours, their contribution to Phoenix's artists scene and impact on music lovers across the country have obliged the duo to administer too-seldom dosages of collective voice reunion.

Mourning Maxwell

Tonight Mourning Maxwell will take the stage for a reunion show at the Vagabond Ballroom in Scottsdale. It'll be the first time I've seen them in almost 5 years and just the 3rd time they've performed during that span. Both their albums Our Collective Voice and Mourning Maxwell still get mad play on my iPod so I'm excited to see some of this gold go down live.

This week I got to chat with Derek and Alex about the show and stroll down their memory lane of touring, crashing vans and missing boa constrictors. Here's what the fellas had to say about that and the future of Phoenix homegrown artists. (more…)

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Sunday showzen > Hellogoodbye in your metalface

Posted on January 25, 2011 by marc

Hella good buy? > this Sunday evening Hellogoodbye made a stop at Martini Ranch in Scottsdale during what looks to be the front of a long tour. The tour commemorates the electropoppers' November album release Would It Kill You, their sophomore album and not with the Drive-Thru label this time.

Hellogoodbye

A fun show it was but couldn't help but notice at least a dozen of roughly 75 in attendance looked like they were in junior high in 2006 when Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! was released. The band seems to be taking a different direction with this album, unfortunately, and while the new stuff isn't horrible it was a bummer to only hear a handful of old gems [which did NOT include 'All of Your Love']. (more…)

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running > for the thrill of it

Posted on January 18, 2011 by marc

Rock n roll > this Sunday Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe were shut down for one of the biggest organized races in the country: the PF Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon & Half Marathon. The Arizona leg of the nationwide run starts in downtown Phoenix in front of the state capitol and ends in Tempe at Sun Devil Stadium.

PF Chang's Rock n Roll Marathon & Half Marathon

(more…)

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Vegas > freaks and geeks

Posted on January 11, 2011 by marc

Smells like CES spirit > the international Consumer Electronics Show attracts the earth's utmost techy and the Adult Entertainment Expo [AEE] brings in the biggest swarm of sexpots in the world. Both conventions share Vegas in the same first week of the year and Sin City supposedly grows by 100K+ freaks and geeks.

Roger Sanchez >> Marquee, Las Vegas

A week immersed in all of this made for some real intrigue. My techsticles marveled in all of the cool gismos and gadgets coming to market soon. Seeing adult film stars sipping champagne at 9am donning nothing but heels and underwear on the way to breakfast was a normal thing. I also witnessed alternative vixens in heat get gadget demos at the bar from the tech industry's elite.

My friend, DJ Tina T, set me and some friends up to check out her inaugural set of residency at Marquee in the Cosmopolitan. This disco might be my new favorite spot and a surprise [to me at least] visit from DJ Roger Sanchez for nearly 4 hours was pretty rad too. Needless to say it was the strangest, longest but nonetheless superb week in Vegas ever. I can't wait for next year     :j Marc

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